Drill pipe spinner



May 21, 1946. c. PRATI-IER E-r AL 2,400,7124 DRILL PIPE SPINNER l Filed July 5. 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS mdf/6.3 Fm fwd/Mm? May 21, 1946.

c. PRATVHER ET A1.

. DRILL PIPE SPINNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1943 War/e5 Ffa Zef Wad@ /iyaefq IN VEN TORS BY y ATTbRNEYs Patented May 2l, 1946.

UNITED STATE-:s PATENT oFFlcE Charles Pratller and Fred A. Rydberg,. airoil, Wyo.

Applicationruly s, 1943, serial No. 493,473

(c1. gif-v) 2 Claims.'

Our invention relates to rotary'drill pipe spinning operations, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved drill pipe spinner. l

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view of the spinner.

Figure 2 is a View of the spinner rotated 90 degrees.

Figure 3 is an end view.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line 6-6 of Figure l, and

' Figure 7 is a sectional view along the line 1'-1 of Figure 6. y l

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, we make use of a frame III provided with two side walls I2 and I4 iixedly connected together by cross members I8. A hinged frame I8 is associated with the frame I6. The frame I8 comprises two plates 20 pivotally .mounted upon a shaft 22 carried by the walls I2 and I4.

Two pipe engaging drive rollers 24 are carried by the walls I2 and I4. The two drive rollers l are of the same construction. Figure 4 illustrates one of the drive rollers, wherein the pipe engaging body 26 is mounted on a shaft 28 rotatably supported in openings 30 in the walls I2 and I4. Flanges 32 are fixed to the shaft 28 and are keyed at 34 to the body 26. To one end of the shaft 28 is attached a worm gear 36 which is driven by a Worm 38. The two worms 38 are attached to a 'shaft -46 rotatably supported in bearings 42 mounted on the wall I2. This shaft connects with a slip clutch or torque control 44.

The walls I2 and lI4 and the plates 20 are v shaped to provide a pipe receiving opening 46,

and the rollers 24 are arranged with portions of their circumferential faces extending into the opening -46 to engage the drill pipe.

An idle roller 48 is mounted on -a shaft 50 rotatably supported in openings 62 in the plates 20. The idle roller 48 is so arranged with respect to the driven rollers 24 as to clamp the drill pipe against the driven rollers when the frame I8 is clamped to the frame I6. The rollers 24 and the roller 48 are spaced substantially equal distances about the drill pipe. 4

Means for clamping the frame I8 to the frame IIJ comprises a body 54 attached to a shaft 56 rotatably supported in openings -58 in the walls 20. Coaxial end shafts 60 are formed on the body 64 adjacent the walls 20, which end shafts :ae eccentrically related to the axisl of the shaft Two arms 62 are rotatably mounted on the end shafts 66' and are provided with hooks 64 engageable underneath one of the cross bars I6 attached to the walls I2 and I4. Fingers 66 are attached to the hooks 64 to facilitate manipulation thereof. To the body 64 is fixedly connected .a handle 68 through the medium of which the body 54 may be rotated to apply clamping engagement between the hook 64 and their coacting cross member I6.

In Figure 6, the shaft 46 is provided with a flange 16 having a plug 12 threaded into one end of a tubular body 14. Bolts .18 extend through the flange 10 and are threaded into the body 14 to prevent unloosening of the plug 12.

A drive shaft 18 is rotatably mounted in a bore 80 in a body 8,2 threaded into the other end of the tubular body 14. A flange 84 is fixed tothe inner end of the shaft 18 and normally lies in vface to face engagement with the end face of the plug 12. Such engagement is resilientiy maintained by a compression spring 86 interposed between the The flange`84 ilts body 82 and the flange 84. loosely in the tubular body'14, and a driving connection between the flange 84 and the shaft 48 is attained by a plurality of V-shaped dogs 88 on the flange 84 and receivable in correspondingly shaped grooves 90 in the plug 12. The ribs and the grooves are arranged radially with respect to the axesof the shafts 46 and 18, the twov shafts 36 being coaxial. Figure 1 illustrates a flexible drive shaft 92 as having a splined connection 84 with the shaft 18, the shaft 92 being connected with` a suitable source of power, not shown.

Under normal operating conditions, the spring 86 is o'f suillcient tension to hold the ribs 88 in driving engagement with the wall faces of the grooves 90. When the load becomes objectionably excessive, the spring 86 yields to permit retraction of the ribs 88 from the grooves 90 so that the shaft 18 may continue rotation relatively to the shaft 40.

The tension of the spring 86 may be varied through adjustment of the body 82, thelatter l being provided with openings 96 for the insertion of suitable tools. A

The two drive rollers 24 may be provided with knurled faces or made up of compounded friction material to increase their frictional grip on the drill pipe.

Our invention provides a spinner which isby applying current knowledge,

same for use under-various conditions oi' service.

speedy in'operationy and embodying safety i'eatures. The spinner eliminates accidents duev to 'workmen becoming caught inspinning lines' emv ployed in connection with catheads. The spinner eliminates fre-v on drilling rigs.

*is of' durable construction Vand quent replacements o! catheads` The device conserves space on the derrick iloor,v

which is otherwise takeny up by ropes employed to spin up the drill pipe. f One man can spin the drill pipe up with perfect safety, whereas in con.

v l ventionaisystems employing ropes, the Operation is a dangerous' one and requires at least two men. The spinner will save` at least ilve thousand feet of rope a year. l

Without `further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain 'our invention, that 'others may. readily adapt the We claim: Y Y, 1. A drill Pipe spinner, comprising a irst support, a second support pivoted to the nrst support. two spaced driven rollers mounted on thek lirst support for driving engagement with a drill pipe, an idle roller mounted port forcontact with the drill pipe, the driven and idle rollers being arrangedy in substantially equal distances about the drill pipe, a pivoted latch carv ried by the pivoted support and engaging the 1.eficacia first support for locking the'same together. a handle operating the -latch andA forming Vmeans by which the pivoted support may be moved to open or closed position, and a drive shaft carried v by the first support and having a worin drive con-l nection with the shafts oi the driven rollersvlor driving the rollers in same direction.

2. A drill pipe spinner, comprising a ilrst support,l a second support pivotedto the first supf port, two spaceddriven rollers mounted on the f -fix'st support for driving engagement with a drill.

pipe, an idle roller mountedI on the 'second sup- 'Spor-t for contact with thedrill pipe, the driven and idle rollers .being arranged in substantially;

equal distances about the drill pipe, a pivoted latch carried by the pivoted support and engaging I the rst support for locking the same together, a

- intermediately supported by a bearing, and worm` l gears carried by the shafts of thedrivenvrollers L. on the second suphandle operating the latch and forming means by which the pivoted support may be moved to an *Y t open or closed position. a drive shaft carried by the rst support and having'two spaced worms l and meshing with the worms` vfori-driving"the-V rollerslnthe same direction. f.

FRED' A; RYDBirmzi;I 

